[ChiragBasu]

Hello friends! We are planning on driving from Kolkata to Pondicherry in August to see my aged grandmother who has been all alone throughout the pandemic. Drivers will be my father and I, with me doing most of it. The ground rules we have set so far are that:
1. We will stop in major urban centers to stay at big hotels, where Covid protocols are more likely to be followed.
2. We won't drive at night, or too later after sunset.

Taking these into consideration, our itinerary is looking something like this:
Day 1:
Kolkata to Bhubaneshwar
Night halt at: Ginger/The Crown

Day 2:
Bhubaneshwar to Rajahmundhry
Night halt at: Hotel Shelton/ Manjeera Premiere

Day 3:
Rajahmundhry to Chennai
Night Halt at: Novotel Chennai

Day 4:
Chennai to Pondy

I am looking for a little bit of help in deciding if this is an okay plan, and whether there is anything specific I need to keep in mind or be cautious about. If any of you can tell me what the E-Pass requirements are in the four states I will be crossing, I will be very grateful.

We shall be driving my Tata Nexon Petrol - Gabbar.

[bong_voyager]

If you're okay to drive 12-13 hours daily, lets say 5am to 6pm, below option can save you a night halt.

Day1: Kol-Gopalpur
~600km, 12-13 hours

Day2: Gopalpur-Vijaywada
~620km, 13hours

Day3: Vijaywada-Pondicherry
~610km, 11 hours

[Researcher]

Originally Posted by ChiragBasu

Taking these into consideration, our itinerary is looking something like this:
Day 1:
Kolkata to Bhubaneshwar
Night halt at: Ginger/The Crown

Your choices of stay are perfect as Ginger is very close to the highway and Crown is on the highway itself. Both of these have good levels of service, but you may like to call them and ask about any issues on your specific dates.

You can ideally cover this stretch within speed limits in 8-9 hours. There is extensive roadwork between Balasore and Jajpur, so this may be a bit tiring and take some time. Have a safe trip.

[Risky4327]

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

If you're okay to drive 12-13 hours daily, lets say 5am to 6pm, below option can save you a night halt.

Day1: Kol-Gopalpur
~600km, 12-13 hours

Day2: Gopalpur-Vijaywada
~620km, 13hours

Day3: Vijaywada-Pondicherry
~610km, 11 hours

I was planning a similar trip to Pondicherry from Jamshedpur. I laid out the plan like this:

East Coast Road Trip upto Pondicherry

Day 1: Home to Brahmapur, Orissa 532 KM, 12 hours
Day 2: Relax at the beaches of Gopalpur, Mayfair Resort
Day 3: Brahmapur to Vijayawada 603 KM, 12 Hours
Day 4: Vijayawada to Pondicherry 650 KM,. 13 Hours
Day 5: Relax at Pondicherry
Day 6: Relax at Pondicherry
Day 7: Pondicherry to Vijayawada 614 KM, 11 Hours
Day 8: Relax at Vijayawada
Day 9: Vijayawada to Gopalpur 620 KM, 13 hours
Day 10: Site seeing at Bhubaneswar
Day 11: Bhubaneswar to Home 353 KM, 7 hours
Day 12: Rest at Home
Total distance including site seeing, detours, etc : 3800 kms max


After seeing thousands of kilometres of driving, my better half insisted on booking flight from Ranchi to Chennai.
I would love to do a road trip with my original plan, may be a couple of years later.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ChiragBasu

1. We will stop in major urban centers to stay at big hotels, where Covid protocols are more likely to be followed
2. We won't drive at night, or too later after sunset

Considering above 2 points, I will say your plan is good with:
1. Kolkata to Bhubaneshwar ~400 Km
2. Bhubaneshwar to Rajamundry ~600 Km
3. Rajamundry to Chennai ~600 Km
4: Chennai to Pondy ~160 Km

However, if you're confident of doing ~600 Km a day, then, my suggestion will be...
1. Kolkata to Brahmapur (lots of good 3* & 4* hotels at Gopalpur about 15 Km detour)
2. Brahmapur to Vijayawada ~600 Km
3. Vijayawada to Pondi ~600 Km

Or, on day 1 if you're excited to be on road, you may want to push on day 1 for a fresh & early start, then...
1. Kolkata to Vizag - ~850 Km
2. Vizag - Ongole - 500 Km
3. Ongole - Pondi ~500 Km

AFAIK, entry into TN requires e-pass which gets approved easily